Effects of Shengmai Injection on the Expression of Bcl-2 and Bax Following Testicular Torsion/Detorsion in Adolescent Rats

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of Shengmai injection extract on the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax following testicular torsion/detorsion in adolescent rats. METHODS Sixteen healthy adolescent male SD rats(6 weeks)were randomly divided into experimental group(testicular torsion/detorsion plus Shengmai injection extract, n=8) and control group(testicular torsion/detorsion plus saline, n=8). Animals were submitted to unilateral 720o testicular torsion,then detorsion was done in two hours. Nine weeks later, the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax were detected by immunohistochemical method. RESULTS In experimental group, the seminiferous tubule was complete, the spermatogenic epithelium arranged regularly and the levels of cells were more clear compared with those in the control group. There was some phenomenon such as pyknosis, karyorrhexis appearing in the cells of control group. In the torsed testes, the apoptosis index of germ cell and Bax expression significantly increased compared with that in the control group (P<0.05) while Bcl-2 expression obviously decreased (P<0.05). The apoptotic cells were mostly pechytene spermatocytes and round spermatides. CONCLUSION Shengmai injection can obviously increase the expression of Bcl-2 while decrease the expression of Bax to inhibit the apoptosis.